Konrad Lorenz
The process, which is called imprinting, involves visual and auditory stimuli from the parent object; these elicit an innate following response in the young that affects their subsequent adult behaviour.
Lorenz demonstrated the imprinting phenomenon by appearing before newly hatched mallard ducklings and imitating a mother duck's quacking sounds, upon which the young birds regarded him as their mother and followed him accordingly.
This shows that chicks will imprint on the first thing they see – even if it is rubber gloves (Guiton, 1966).
Imprinting is important in the short-term for protection and feeding, and in the long-term for mating. Imprinting shows that (in ducklings) attachment is an innate process and is adaptive in that it helps enusre the survival of the infant duckling.
This study supports the evoluationary thoery of attachment (Bowlby) as it shows that attachment is an innate process. This is in direct contrast to the behavioural theory which states that attachment is a learnt process.
